Specks of Light
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day ninety-five: Quinn suspects Sue is up to something again, and she recruits Brittany to spy on the coach.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a second cycle, and then a third and fourth cycle. Now here comes cycle 5!_

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**"Specks of Light"  
Quinn & Brittany (& Sue)**

Once upon a time, using the methods so loved by Sue Sylvester right back on her may have been for more… selfish needs. But the months had been good to her, if only in some aspects. A sudden pregnancy, a fall from the social ladder, and a falling out with her parents… that was not what would qualify as the makings of a good year.

But then there were the other things… Glee Club had been something she'd placed as something to be mocked, that she was only going to join for formality's sake, so she could just keep an eye on Finn… that was the plan. But it had changed her, and if anything it had made her loyal to them, especially after everything that had happened, the yearbook debacle with Coach Sylvester…

And that was what had started it, Quinn's turning of the 'covert' tables on to Sue Sylvester. After what had happened, what she'd done to get them their photo, she was expecting blowback, and she kept an eye out for the tracksuit wonder.

What she saw was a pattern. Coach Sylvester was leaving McKinley earlier, every other day. When she'd see her, Quinn could recognize from experience she was trying to be discreet. Sitting in class one morning, she tried to decide how to handle the situation. If she was out to try and undermine them again, she'd find out, try to deal with it.

The answer to her first pass at information, was sitting right next to her, doing a poor job of discreetly looking at her book. Quinn saw her out of the corner of her eye. When she looked over, Brittany was quick to sit back straight. Quinn just brushed it off and looked back to her book… she paused, looked at Brittany again. The cheerleader's eyes veered to the right for a moment before she turned to look at Quinn proper, unsettled.

"What?" she asked, looking around. Quinn gave her a smile. On reflex, Brittany smiled back. Realizing she didn't know what she was smiling about, the doubt folded into her face. "What?" she repeated. "Do I have…" she reached to dab at her face, looked at her fingers.

"Your face is fine," Quinn promised. "I need your help."

Using Brittany to check on Sue was risky, she knew that. She may have done Sue's bidding for months undetected by Mr. Schuester, but getting one by Sue Sylvester was not easy work. Out of her list of two candidates though, Brittany was the easiest to get to work with her without too many questions.

The plan was simple: there was no plan, not really. She'd just have her report back what Coach Sylvester did. Evidently, that translated itself with Brittany being overly attentive. The next time Quinn saw her assistant-spy, she looked nervous. Coach Sylvester was nearby, watching her go. Quinn turned and moved down the hall before she could be seen. She waited for Brittany to come around the corner as well, so she could catch her and talk to her. When she did, she pulled her along down the hall.

"Well?" Quinn asked.

"Well what?" Brittany asked, confused.

"Did she say anything? About Glee?"

"No, she shook her head. Quinn nodded, wondering if maybe she had it wrong. But then… "She had to go." Quinn looked at her, then her watch. She had to make up her mind… It wouldn't hurt to take a look, just to be sure.

"Come on," she dragged Brittany back towards the parking lot.

"Where are we going?" Brittany asked. Quinn didn't answer.

When they got outside, Quinn looked around until she saw Coach Sylvester was almost to her car. Quinn hurried as best she could to reach her own car in time to follow Coach Sylvester without losing her. The girls got into the car, driving off to tail the other car without being spotted. Brittany was still confused at first, but Quinn explained that all they would do was to see where the coach went and whether it had to do with her nefarious efforts toward Glee Club.

Quinn managed to keep track of the car through its journey. If she ever thought she'd lost her, Brittany would suddenly point and direct her. The drive was a good little time for the both of them, so much that they almost missed it when the car they were following turned into a lot.

"What is it?" Brittany asked when Quinn pulled over to the side of the road.

Quinn would have thought it was a school, where she would go and do… something that would hurt them… But they were nowhere near their competitors, and the place did not look like a school. She looked around until she spotted a sign that showed what the building was. And then she saw the word 'hospital' on the end of the sign. She hesitated…

She realized now that it hadn't been about Glee Club, and that they could be imposing on something they shouldn't impose on or even know about. She looked to Brittany.

"We should go, this was a mistake," she shook her head. Brittany looked at her, about to respond, but then she pointed, just as she had when they were on the road. Quinn wasn't sure whether she should look back, if she was about to invade even further. Her curiosity won her over though, and she turned to see what Brittany was pointing at.

She had exited the building, escorting arm in arm another woman, a patient, who Quinn saw to have Down syndrome.

Quinn had never seen Sue Sylvester smile, not like this… It was surprising, to say the least. She didn't know how to process it… There was love and happiness on the usually stern face, the kind of affection which she knew like what she would feel around… her sister.

"Come on, let's go," Quinn pulled the car back on to the road.

As they drove back, Quinn looked to Brittany and made sure with her that this afternoon's events stayed with them, and no one else. She wasn't sure how that would go, but there was no other way. She certainly didn't want to let the secret out.

It didn't push out all she felt about the coach. It didn't change how she'd been, to her and countless others. But despite all that, she was still allowed her privacy.

THE END


End file.
